Cindy's Time (Ongoing)

CHAPTER 8

"What are you baking there, dear?" I looked over my shoulder to see Nana Tessa entering the kitchen. I was busily mixing the ingredients for my caramel apple oatmeal cookies.

"Just a bunch of oatmeal cookies," I said with a smile.

"Need any help?"

"No, thank you, Nana. I got this. You just sit there and relax."

"If you're sure, dear." She opened one of the cupboards to make herself her daily dose of afternoon coffee.

Settling in one of the chairs, she asked conversationally, "How's school so far, dear? I see that you've been quite busy for the last few weeks."

Does she know about Lorenzo? I laughed somewhat nervously. "School's fine, Nana. You know the usual, schoolwork and some extracurriculars on the side."

I preheated the oven at 350 degrees.

When I joined her at the table, she smiled over her mug of coffee. "Really? Nothing new?"

"Nope." I made the word pop out of my lips.

"Not even that young man who I always see passing by our cafeteria stall whenever you're there?"

Well, that answers my previous question.

I decided to be perfectly honest with my answer. I truly value Nana Tessa's opinion over the matter. But that doesn't mean that it was any less awkward admitting it to her. "He... uh... he's a friend. A special friend."

Obviously, this wasn't something that we normally talk about, if at all. This was the first time in our eighteen years that we talked about my love life.

"Is he your boyfriend?" she asked bluntly.

I looked at her then, surprised that she was beaming as if this was the happiest day of her life. "Ehr, no. Not yet."

"My baby is growing up!" She slid out of her chair and hugged me. "I never thought that I'd see the day that you'll start to fall in love."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad, dear?"

"Well, you know, that thing where we young kids are not allowed to have boyfriends until after we graduate."

My stepmother has no rule against me having a love life as long as I do my job here in the house and in her business. But this was Nana, the one who has become more of a mother to me ever since my own passed away.

"Oh, please," she said emphatically while waving her hand. "You are a smart young lady. I trust you to know what's right and wrong."

I hugged her again. "Thank you, Nana. That means a lot to me."

I stood up to place my baking pan inside the oven.

"Besides, I know what young love is." I looked at her surprisingly, waiting for her to continue her story.

She smiled wistfully, seeming to have a trip down memory lane. "My Tonio and I met when I was about your age. He was a friend of my cousin's."

"Was it love at first sight?"

"It was. It really was. At that moment, I remember thinking that he's my one. That I'll be spending the rest of my life with him."

"Do you still miss him, Nana?" She was a widow for more than ten years now.